


rooftop blues

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, everyone else than kaokana show up in the later chapters, kaoru being a big Fool, keito and shu have one line each but I'm not tagging them for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-11-29 13:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11442228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: Three times they go to the rooftop; three days Kaoru spends reflecting on how he feels about Kanata.A simple invitation for lunch leads to much more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for two weeks but there's still fifteen minutes of my birthday left so publishing this now is my birthday gift to myself. nice

Kaoru is, against his habits, the last one to leave the classroom. He’s so lost in thought about what he wants to eat that he doesn’t notice the blue-haired boy standing outside the door, peeking into the room.

“Oh!” Kanata gasps, and that’s when Kaoru realises he’s standing right there, and quickly stops before they bump into each other.

“…Kanata-kun?” Kaoru asks, surprised. He quickly collects himself, and continues. “Are you looking for Moricchi? He left in a hurry, probably to –“

“Chiaki? Mm, not ‘today’”, Kanata shakes his head. “I came looking for Kaoru.”

“Me?” Kaoru blinks. “What’d you need me for?”

“I wanted to have ‘lunch’ together”, Kanata tilts his head, his lips curling into a soft smile, and Kaoru swallows.

“With me?” he asks, and Kanata nods, patiently waiting for his reply. “Well, I – sure? But I need to buy something first, I was just thinking about that…”

“Oh… actually, I made enough for ‘both’ of us.”

Kaoru’s mouth falls open. He did? Kanata did?

“For me?” Kaoru asks, and gets another nod in return. “You made something for me?” And yet another.

Kanata is starting to look worried, his eyebrows creasing slightly, so Kaoru swiftly collects his thoughts and throws him a grin.

“Well, if you went through all that trouble, there’s no way I could refuse.”

Kanata’s eyes light up in an instant, and he tugs at Kaoru’s sleeve to get him to follow him.

“Let us ‘hurry’, then”, he starts pulling Kaoru down the hallway, and Kaoru swallows his protests as Kanata slides his hand down Kaoru’s sleeve and entwines their fingers together.

 

Kanata said to hurry, but he also wants to eat on the roof, so in the end, it’s Kaoru pulling Kanata along the last set of stairs.

“You’re an idol, aren’t you?” Kaoru asks, though he’s also slightly out of breath. “And it’s not like we’re gonna run out of time, or anything.”

“Ehehe… my feet are slow, which is a ‘problem’. I wanted to spend as much ‘time’ with Kaoru as possible~”, Kanata smiles sheepishly, and Kaoru groans. When Kanata phrases it like that, Kaoru is defenceless, because he has to concentrate on not getting lost in what words like that could imply.

“Let’s just eat, okay? You went through all that trouble, and everything. When’d you even get all this done?”

“Oh? I ‘skipped’ class to make it~” Kanata declares happily as he sits down, and Kaoru has to tell himself it doesn’t mean anything because Kanata skips class a lot. It’s nothing special that he’d do it for Kaoru, right?

Regardless, he can feel his heart speed up, but he ignores it and sits next to Kanata, making sure to keep a small space between them.

Kanata silently hands Kaoru a bento box, and after Kaoru opens it, he finds that it’s full of grilled fish, with nothing else inside. He’s so focused on the contents of the box that he pays little attention to what Kanata is doing, but is shaken out of it when he hears him speak.

“…Oh”, Kanata says quietly, with the most defeated tone Kaoru has ever heard from him, and he whips his head around, one hundred percent ready to fight whatever has made Kanata sad.

What he finds is Kanata holding a soy sauce bottle upside down, with nothing coming out of it.

“It is ‘empty’”, Kanata states the obvious, and Kaoru almost asks why he can’t just eat the fish without the sauce, when he remembers that Kanata uses way too much soy sauce on _everything_ he eats.

Kanata frowns, still staring at the bottle, like doing so could magically make more soy sauce appear inside of it.

“You don’t have another?” Kaoru asks, even though it’s very obvious that if Kanata _did_ have another, he’d have taken it out already.

“No… I ‘forgot’ to get a ‘new’ one”, Kanata sighs, placing the bottle down. “I really wanted to ‘enjoy’ today with Kaoru…”

Kaoru startles upon seeing how Kanata’s eyes are beginning to glisten, and his mind goes into panic.

“Uhh, um, there’s still time to get a new one, maybe…?”

“Not for me… I am not ‘fast’ enough”, Kanata turns his head and looks directly at Kaoru, who momentarily forgets how to breathe. It’s very obvious how close Kanata is to tears and Kaoru could think of a million things he’d rather see than a crying Kanata.

“Ahh – damn it! I’ll get it for you!” Kaoru jumps up, throwing his box into Kanata’s lap. Kanata stares after him, but Kaoru has no time for further explanations, so he simply bolts through the door.

 

The next fifteen minutes or so are a bit of a blur. Kaoru disregards all safety instructions about stairs and leaps them down a few at a time, stumbling and almost falling more times than he cares to count. Once he reaches the ground floor, he has little time to watch the surprised and disapproving faces he runs past, and he’s pretty sure someone calls out his name, but he has no idea who so he doesn’t even wave back.

Kaoru has a short time to catch his breath and thoughts when he waits in the line of the school store with two soy sauce bottles in his hands, but he wishes he could just start running again. He doesn’t really understand why, but he keeps thinking about the look on Kanata’s face when he thought their lunch was ruined.

Which it definitely _wasn’t_ , but Kaoru knows how important soy sauce is to Kanata, and up there his brain just kind of short-circuited so he did the first thing he could think of that might stop Kanata from crying.

Which is, apparently, running through the whole school in record time to get him more soy sauce.

Kaoru pays, walks out of the store, takes a deep breath, and starts running again. His body is quick to complain, having already been riled up before, so he takes it a little slower – until he spots Keito, who’s looking straight at Kaoru with a very unhappy look on his face.

So Kaoru curses and picks up the pace. He has absolutely no plans to spend the rest of the lunch break listening to Keito’s lecturing, so he speeds up, until he’s certain he’s out of Keito’s range. They’re on the same class so Kaoru has to face him after lunch is over, but at least he can now bring the soy to Kanata.

It’s a straight-up miracle that Kaoru makes it up the stairs. His lungs burn but he focuses his thoughts on Kanata, and finally, reaches the top.

Kaoru slams the door open, startling Kanata, whose head whips around to stare at him. Kaoru collapses on the ground next to him, holding out the two bottles, and Kanata’s eyes widen as he takes them and then looks Kaoru up and down.

“Kaoru… you did not ‘run’ all the way for me, right…?”

“It’s… fine”, Kaoru manages to say, panting heavily between words. “It was… nothing… to me. I’m in a… pretty good shape… you know.”

‘Good shape’ is a relative concept, as Kaoru has to stop talking so he can breathe. Sure, he skips more practises than he attends, but how is he _this_ bad? Or did he really just run that fast…? He can’t remember the last time he’s put in this much effort for anyone.

But then Kanata flashes him a smile so bright that Kaoru’s already furiously beating heart skips a beat, and Kaoru freezes, suddenly unable to tear his eyes from the other boy.

“I am ‘glad’…” Kanata simply says as he looks away from Kaoru and opens a bottle of soy sauce.

Kaoru’s breathing is slowly turning back to normal, but his heart won’t slow down, and he keeps scanning his eyes over Kanata’s face like he was searching for an answer he already knows.

 _No_ , he thinks, _I wouldn’t. I couldn’t._

_Could I?_

The thought has never consciously crossed Kaoru’s mind before, but now he thinks about all those moments – whenever Kanata smiles at him and he feels funny, whenever he goes out of his way for Kanata’s sake, and whenever he lets Kanata touch him, because _really_ , he doesn’t let any other guy do so…?

And he _did_ just run to the ground floor and back up like his life depended on it, only because he couldn’t bear the sight of Kanata crying.

So it all starts clicking together right there when Kaoru watches Kanata’s serene face, and he exhales slowly, laying his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

“Kaoru”, Kanata’s soft voice shakes Kaoru back to reality, and he snaps his eyes open. “Here~”

What Kaoru finds is Kanata holding a piece of soy sauce-soaked fish in his chopsticks, offering it towards Kaoru.

“W-what?” Kaoru stutters, and Kanata smiles at him.

“To show my ‘gratitude’… I will feed you. Say ‘aah’~”

Kanata says it like feeding someone else was a completely normal thing, and Kaoru _really_ doesn’t need this when his last thoughts were on the topic _have I fallen in love with Kanata,_ but Kanata is insistent, so Kaoru opens his mouth without further protest, and Kanata pushes the fish in.

Kaoru winces at the strong taste of soy, but chews and swallows the fish, and Kanata looks satisfied.

“Now it is your ‘turn’.”

“What?”

“To ‘feed’ me.”

“What?” Kaoru repeats, and Kanata tilts his head, a small smile playing on his lips. He must know Kaoru heard him the first time because he doesn’t repeat what he just said, and Kaoru can feel his face heat up, which should be weird because he never blushes, but then again – it’s been a long time since he’s seriously liked anyone.

“But we have the same fish, you – you made portions, so shouldn’t your own be fine…?”

“It is not about that, Kaoru”, Kanata frowns, his tone almost scolding, and Kaoru doesn’t really understand but resigns to his fate and with shaking hands picks up a piece of fish from his own box.

“Say ‘aah’”, Kaoru mutters, but instead of opening his mouth, Kanata shakes his head, and points at his own box, where his own fish is swimming in soy sauce.

“Couldn’t I just have picked up one of those – fine”, Kaoru dips his piece in Kanata’s box, and brings it back up. Now, Kanata looks delighted, leaning closer and bringing a hand on Kaoru’s knee to steady himself.

Kaoru jolts at the contact, but does his best to ignore the press of Kanata’s hand, and quickly brings the fish to Kanata’s mouth to get it over with. Kanata’s expression is blissful as he chews, and Kaoru lets out a sigh of relief as he backs away, removing his hand.

Fortunately, Kanata allows Kaoru to eat the rest of the fish in peace. They eat in silence, and Kaoru takes this opportunity to calm himself and evaluate the situation. What _is_ the situation? That Kaoru might like Kanata? That he has no idea how Kanata feels towards him in return?

Just because Kanata doesn’t have boundaries when it comes to personal space doesn’t mean anything, right? He’s like that with everyone he's fond of, not just Kaoru. And the fact that he invited Kaoru out for lunch, and even _made_ that lunch…

“Why’d you want to eat with me, anyway?” Kaoru asks before he can stop himself. Kanata turns to look at him, blinking a few times before answering.

“You have been away from the ‘club’ lately… so I ‘missed’ you~”

Kaoru almost chokes on the fish.

“Missed? Missed me?”

“I was ‘lonely’”, Kanata pouts, and Kaoru feels just a little bit dizzy. Maybe more than a little bit.

“But, well, there’s Souma-kun… and you see your unit, right…?”

“Hmm~ But Kaoru is ‘different’.”

Kanata is leaning closer again, with slightly scrunched brows and a determined look in his green eyes. Kaoru isn’t sure when he’s ever seen Kanata look this focused, and the fact that those eyes are firmly fixed on Kaoru’s own makes shivers run up his spine. Kaoru tries to look anywhere else, but the plan fails, because what he finds instead is Kanata’s lips, and then his mind goes to a place it _really_ shouldn’t in this situation.

What saves Kaoru is the school bell.

“Are you going to class?” he quickly asks, praying that Kanata doesn’t try to go back to the previous topic.

“Are you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Hmm~”

“Come on, I’ll walk back with you. Sakuma-san said he’s gonna attend classes today, so at least you’ll see him there.”

Kanata’s face lights up at the mention of his friend, and Kaoru stands up, offering a hand to him. Kanata takes it, but doesn’t let go once he’s standing, even when he has to stuff their lunch boxes back into his bag with one hand.

He doesn’t let go even when they start descending the stairs, and finally Kaoru gives up and slowly wraps his fingers around Kanata’s. Kanata hums happily when he does so, and Kaoru is lost for a moment, until he sternly tells himself that it shouldn’t mean anything special.

The closer they get to their classrooms, the more Kaoru starts to realise that Kanata not letting go means that very soon anyone can see them holding hands, and he really – _really_ – doesn’t want to see a smug smile on Rei’s face. He tries to discreetly slip his hand away, and Kanata doesn’t otherwise imply he notices, but tightens his hold on Kaoru’s hand, preventing him from separating them.

They reach 3-B first, and Kaoru stops, not intending to enter the classroom. Kanata turns to face him, and he’s smiling as usual, but there’s a glint in his eyes that almost looks mischievous.

“I’ll leave you here and get to mine, then”, Kaoru nods towards the next room over. Kanata pulls at Kaoru’s hand, causing him to bend down just a little bit, and then, before Kaoru can register what’s happening, Kanata pushes his body forward and plants a kiss on Kaoru’s cheek.

Kanata pulls away and removes his hand from Kaoru’s, but keeps watching him. The rest of Kaoru is quicker to react than his brain, and his whole body flushes, starting from his back and coursing to his face.

“To ‘thank’ you for joining me at the ‘roof’”, Kanata chirps, his smile somehow even wider than before. “I ‘enjoyed’ today.”

“I – that’s –“ Kaoru starts talking before he even knows what he wants to say. “M-me too? I think? I mean, yes, I did.”

“That is ‘good’ to hear”, Kanata nods. “I will get ‘inside’ now, or they will ‘scold’ me for being late.”

“Y-yes”, Kaoru stutters. “I’ll… see you around.”

Kanata is humming again as he walks into his classroom, and Kaoru hurries towards his own, until he realises he has to calm down before he can enter. His face must be visibly hot, and the last thing he needs are questions about _why_ he’s blushing like he just got a kiss from his crush.

Which _technically_ is true, but not a single soul in his class is allowed to know it.


	2. Chapter 2

The following day, Kaoru goes back to the roof, but alone and without lunch. He sits down against the wall and lets the sunlight caress his face.

It feels nice to be up here, and Kaoru can feel his head clearing.

So he likes Kanata. What’s next? Nothing, probably, because Kanata wouldn’t like someone like him.

A voice at the back of his head nags, _what about that kiss_ , but Kaoru silences it. Kanata probably does that to all those he calls friends. He can be very affectionate.

”And the lunch didn’t mean anything either!” Kaoru says a little louder than intended, but it doesn’t matter since no one else is at the roof to hear him.

Kaoru sighs and closes his eyes. The wall’s not as uncomfortable to lean against as he thought it would be, and the sun is really high, and he has plenty of time until he has to go back to class…

 

Kaoru wakes up with a jolt as a weight presses against his chest. He slowly blinks his eyes open, and finds blue – blue?

”Kanata-kun?” Kaoru asks, still half-asleep, but then he registers the situation and his brain goes into overdrive instead.

”Kanata-kun!” he repeats with a gasp.

”Yes, hello, Kaoru”, Kanata’s voice is steady as ever as he adjusts himself. He’s sitting between Kaoru’s legs, and now moves even closer, to rest his back against Kaoru’s chest.

Kaoru has a very hard time forming coherent thoughts, so he doesn’t manage to say anything, either. The back of Kanata’s head is so close that his hair tickles Kaoru’s nose, and Kaoru shifts a little.

”Mm, do not ’move’”, Kanata’s voice is already slowing down. ”You are ’warm’, so it is ’comfortable’ here.”

Then he simply leans his head back to rest it against Kaoru’s neck, and closes his eyes.

Seriously?

_Seriously?_

Kaoru opens his mouth to protest because his brain is finally catching up with everything that just transpired, but Kanata’s breathing has already fallen into a steady rhythm.

How has he fallen asleep so fast, in a situation like this? Why did he even come up here in the first place and why did he think it was a good idea to just sit down and rest against Kaoru? Previous day’s lunch and this combined are just too much and Kaoru really wants to just ask Kanata what his intentions are, but it would be a disaster to confess his feelings if Kanata _didn’t_ feel the same, so he’d rather just keep it to himself like the coward he is.

Kaoru’s every nerve is still on fire due to their proximity, so the time it takes for him to relax even a little feels like forever. It’s impossible to fall asleep like this, but at least he can make himself more comfortable. Slowly, his body relaxes against the wall, and he sighs out as he finally manages to calm down a bit, by concentrating on anything else than Kanata.

But then Kanata makes a _mn_ kind of noise in his sleep, and suddenly Kaoru is very aware that his sleeping face might be the cutest thing he’s ever seen, and his heart speeds up again.

Being close to Kanata was a _lot_ easier when Kaoru was still pretending there weren’t any other feelings than friendship involved.

Kaoru has barely moved, but now he dares to move his hands, and slowly wraps them around Kanata’s waist. Kanata stirs, only to turn his head slightly, and then exhales deeply. Kaoru looks down at him and swallows.

The sunlight and their closeness has made Kaoru dizzy, and something about the way Kanata’s hair smells mildly bothers him – maybe because he can’t quite place _what_ Kanata’s hair smells like. He prides himself on being good at this, or, well, on being good at distinguishing girl’s scents. But Kanata’s scent is vaguely familiar, and Kaoru really wants to find out why, so he leans down to find out, his nose just barely touching Kanata’s hair.

And that’s when the school bell starts ringing.

Kaoru startles and snaps his head back, hitting it against the wall behind him. He’s blinking back tears and cursing under his breath when Kanata starts stirring and wakes up.

”Go~od mor~ning, Kaoru~” he yawns, each word stretching out even more than usual.

”It’s not morning, it’s time for class”, Kaoru mutters, still recovering from the impact with the wall.

”Nooooo~”, Kanata whines, ”I do not ’want’ to.”

Sure, sleeping Kanata was cute, but this half-awake version is just unfair. Kanata tilts his head up, his eyes open just enough for sunlight to reflect on them. His eyebrows are scrunched and he’s wearing a pout. Kaoru feels the urge to lie down and relax, to fall into Kanata’s pace and fall asleep with him in his arms, but he tries to stay strong.

”Come on, Sakuma-san even said he’s dragging your other friend to class today.”

”Wataru?” Kanata asks as he brings his hands to grab Kaoru’s, who realises he still has his arms wrapped around Kanata’s waist.

”Yeah, him”, Kaoru nods, and Kanata sighs.

”But I cannot ’move’.”

”You – what?”

”I stayed in the ’sun’ for too long.”

Now Kaoru notices it; Kanata’s body against his is completely limp and relaxed.

”And yet you came to sleep in the sun?”

”It is ’okay’. I had a ’good’ nap.” Kanata closes his eyes again, and as he yawns and relaxes even _more_ , Kaoru can feel himself turn drowsy.

”Ok, no, no, we can’t stay here”, Kaoru shakes his head. ”I skip any more of this teacher’s classes this week and he’ll call my father, which is the last thing I want.”

”Okay~” Kanata complies, but doesn’t move.

”So, if you don’t have the strength, I’ll, uhh...”

Kanata opens his eyes again, and while he doesn’t have a clear line of sight to Kaoru’s face, those eyes are now completely open and attentive.

”I’ll carry you”, Kaoru mutters quietly. Heat rushes into his cheeks as he says the words, and Kanata nods with a wide smile.

Hoisting Kanata on Kaoru’s back is a bit of a struggle. Kaoru wriggles out from under Kanata and then squats in front of him, pulling Kanata’s arms over his shoulders. Kanata has just enough strength to somehow hold onto Kaoru, who slips his hands under Kanata’s thighs and finally manages to stand up with Kanata wrapped around him.

Kaoru thinks about all the practise he’s neglected as he tries to find the right balance. Is he too weak or is Kanata heavier than he looks? There’s no time to think about it, so Kaoru dares the stairs.

He descends slowly to avoid any missteps that would certainly lead to them plummeting to their horrible deaths. Kanata seems to recover some of his strength once he’s out of the sun, and wraps his arms securely over Kaoru’s chest. Kaoru pays little attention to what Kanata is doing, his focus on the stairs, until he feels something press against the back of his neck. He yelps, taking a wrong step, but fortunately they’re at the bottom of the stairs, so Kaoru manages to steady his feet.

Kanata, with his nose buried in Kaoru’s hair, acts like nothing happened, presses his whole face against the back of Kaoru’s head, and spreads his fingers, those resting against Kaoru’s chest.

Is Kanata _trying_ to kill him?

Kaoru does his best to act like none of this is affecting him, but is immensely grateful they’re at the right floor now and he only needs to walk down the hallway to reach 3-B. Then he can drop off Kanata and go to his own classroom to clear his head.

Wasn’t that why he went to the roof in the first place? Well, that one backfired, which Kaoru is reminded of when Kanata blows air at his skin, causing him to jolt.

When Kanata starts humming against his skin, the vibrations strong enough for Kaoru to feel them, he speeds up. His skin is on fire, and his embarrassment can surely be seen from his face plain as day, so he needs to get Kanata off his back before anyone -

Kaoru enters 3-B without thinking, and realises his mistake just a moment too late. Everyone in the room turns to look at them.

”Kaoru-kun? You know your classroom is – oh”, Rei’s lips curl into a smile when he notices Kanata on Kaoru’s back, and into an even bigger one when he looks back at Kaoru’s red face.

”Oh? Oh?” the last of 3-B’s oddballs, Wataru, is wearing a wide grin as well. Kaoru clears his throat.

”I’m just here to drop off Kanata-kun”, he mutters. With everyone looking at him, his whole body flushes in addition to his face, and he prays they don’t see right through him. ”So… which desk is his?”

”Over here”, Wataru taps on a desk to his left. Kaoru walks past Rei, whose keen eyes and knowing smile let Kaoru know he has absolutely no problem seeing through him.

Somehow, Kanata has fallen asleep again, and in his sleep, he clings to Kaoru with surprising strength. Wataru helps, carefully peeling Kanata off Kaoru’s back, and together they slip him into his seat.

And _that’s_ when Kanata wakes up.

”Oh… we are ’here’”, he yawns.

”I’m going to my own class now, okay?”

”Mm… just a ’moment’.” Kanata waves him closer, and Kaoru leans down. Kanata mumbles something under his breath, so Kaoru leans even closer to hear what he wants to say.

Kanata’s half-lidded eyes are surprisingly sharp up close, but also frighteningly beautiful, and Kaoru realises he might have made a mistake just a moment too late. Kanata suddenly straightens his back, swipes Kaoru’s hair off his forehead, and places a kiss right there.

It’s as if time stops. Kaoru is frozen in place as Kanata pulls away and watches him with a fond smile. Kaoru’s mouth falls open, his eyes wide, and Kanata stifles a giggle.

”Thank you for the ’nap’, Kaoru~”, Kanata says before he simply plops down on his desk face-down, leaving a flustered Kaoru to face the rest of the class.

Kaoru turns around slowly. The room is filled with absolute silence, and everyone’s eyes are on him, and the smile on Rei’s face can only be described as smug. Kaoru would attempt to glare at him, but he’s pretty sure it wouldn’t be intimidating at all.

”So...” Rei breaks the silence, but Kaoru doesn’t let him finish.

”I’m – I should get going. To my own class. Uh, and, give him some water, okay? He stayed in the sun for a while.”

Then he hurries out of the room before anyone can say any more, almost tripping on a chair on his way.

 

”Oh, Hakaze!” Chiaki greets Kaoru when he enters 3-A.

”Hi”, Kaoru musters, praying that he looks calm enough to be convincing.

”I wasn’t sure if you’d show up – hmm?”

Chiaki walks closer, his curious eyes fixed on Kaoru.

”What?” Kaoru asks nervously.

”No, something just seemed – wait”, Chiaki had already turned away when he suddenly whips back around. ”Were you with Kanata?”

Kaoru freezes. His mouth falls open, and he makes the horrible realisation that he’s starting to blush again.

”Wh – how did you -”

”Huh? You kinda smell like him.”

”I don’t”, Kaoru denies, turning his head to sniff his own hair. He remembers he never did figure out that scent on Kanata. Based on what his own hair vaguely smells like, it might have been soy sauce or the ocean. Or both.

”Oh? But you look like I was right about it?”

”Shut up”, Kaoru quickly walks to his seat, but Chiaki follows him.

”Hey, didn’t you see him yesterday too? That’s two days in a row -”

”Please”, Kaoru groans as he sinks into his seat and buries his head in his hands. He doesn’t even need to look at Chiaki to know he’s wearing a grin right now.

”Is that why you were in such a hurry to get away from me yesterday?” Keito interrupts. ”It was rude to do so.”

”I _know_ , you told me like ten times yesterday.”

”Make sure you treat him well or I’m coming for you”, Shu raises his voice from the back of the room.

”We’re not even – is the whole class on my case?” Kaoru whines. Chiaki’s laughter is bright and loud, and Kaoru sinks even lower, resting his face against his desk.

So much for keeping anything a secret from this class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter 2! I wanted to post it now because it was practically done and I'm going away for the weekend. chapter 3 might take a while because I'm still thinking about the right way to finish this, haha...


	3. Chapter 3

”I thought you dragged me here to practise.”

The whole UNDEAD is in the light music club room, but there’s definitely no practising going on. Koga is strumming on a guitar, but it’s not even one of their songs, and Adonis hasn’t moved from his seat since he sat down on it. He’s keeping an eye on Kaoru in case he tries to escape – after all, he’s the one Rei sent to fetch Kaoru in the first place.

Rei is sitting down comfortably with a tea cup in hand, and his eyes are also fixed on Kaoru, but his gaze is observant instead of watchful.

”Hmm? Practise? No, I wanted you here so I could talk to you.”

”About what?” Kaoru quirks an eyebrow.

”About Shinkai-kun, of course.”

Kaoru coughs and looks away. He’s done much less than a stellar job at hiding his feelings, so of course there’s no way Rei _hasn’t_ noticed.

”What about him?” Kaoru scratches at the back of his neck, which is beginning to burn. Kanata has occupied his mind for two days straight, and it’s more than embarrassing to just think about it. Kaoru looks around the room and finds with relief that at least Adonis isn’t looking at him anymore.

Rei is wearing a lopsided smile when Kaoru finally looks back at him.

”Do you want me to spell it out for you?”

”No, thank you”, Kaoru mutters. Rei sighs and beckons him closer. Kaoru doesn’t even know why he’s so stubborn about this, as at this point Rei knows exactly what his feelings towards Kanata are, but for some reason he’s simply unable to say it out loud. Though having Rei say it in his place might be even worse.

”I have to say he’s done an admirable job at chasing you”, Rei tilts his head.

”Kanata-kun?” Kaoru blinks. Suddenly, he has no idea what they’re talking about anymore, so he frowns and says the first thing that comes to mind.

”What would he chase me for? _I’m_ the one who likes _him_.”

Kaoru’s brain catches on later than his mouth and his eyes widen as he realises he just said out loud what he was trying so hard to avoid. If Rei is pleased at Kaoru’s confession, he doesn’t show it, and instead raises his eyebrows and leans closer. He keeps eye contact with Kaoru for a while, then leans back away and sips tea.

”You know, Kaoru-kun, I really thought you were just playing dumb.”

”I don’t understand”, Kaoru blurts out. If they _aren’t_ here to talk about Kaoru’s obvious crush on Kanata, then what? If it’s still about Kanata, then -

Kaoru’s heart does an awful jump as he starts to consider that maybe, _maybe_ -

”I have to say, that kiss yesterday was adorable.”

Rei’s smile is smug, like he could see the gears turning in Kaoru’s head.

”Doesn’t he do that to like, all his friends?” It’s a desperate counter, but the best Kaoru can make up without having to directly say _please tell me Kanata likes me back_.

”Not that he hasn’t given me kisses, but it’s a bit different”, Rei’s eyes are still locked with Kaoru’s, whose throat runs dry as he finds himself unable to say anything.

”The lunch was my idea”, Rei continues, almost absentmindedly. ”He said it would have worked, too, if you weren’t in such a hurry to bring him to class...”

Kaoru’s face flushes, Rei’s words bringing him back to that day.

”What about, uhh...” Kaoru clears his throat. He’s still having trouble coming up with words, but Rei finishes the sentence for him.

”Yesterday? Hmm...” Rei flashes a smirk, clearly pleased that Kaoru is asking questions. ”I have to say it seemed to go well, but he was still getting frustrated that you didn’t seem to get the hint, so naturally I offered to help.”

Kaoru groans, hiding his face in his hands. His head spins as he replays the past two days in his head, piece by piece, from the moment Kanata appeared on his classroom’s door to how focused he seemed to be that day, to how easily he fell asleep on Kaoru and finally to how fondly he gazed upon Kaoru after that second kiss -

”I can’t believe you’ve talked about me”, is all Kaoru manages to say, and it comes out as more of a whimper than an accusation. Rei’s chuckle echoes through the room, causing the steady sounds of the guitar to pause. When Kaoru peeks from under his fingers, Koga and Adonis are eyeing them curiously, but Rei shakes his head at them and Koga turns his attention back to the guitar and Adonis goes to sit next to him.

”I assure you, they’ve been joyful conversations. Hibiki-kun in particular had some delightful ideas...”

”I don’t want to hear them.”

”A shame”, Rei mutters. ”But you know, Kaoru-kun, I’m surprised you’re still here humouring an old man such as myself. Isn’t there something else you should be doing?”

Kaoru removes his hands from his face and blinks, once, twice, until he realises – how could he even forget?

”Where is he now?” Kaoru stands up, his voice trembling. His pulse is speeding up, and he balls his hands into fists to suppress their shaking.

”You should know”, Rei leans back and tilts his head.

Kaoru nods, turns, and bolts. Adonis jumps up, but Kaoru hears Rei say something, and Adonis doesn’t give chase.

Kaoru runs as fast as he did two days ago. This time, he isn’t on a schedule, though it almost feels like he was – the faster he goes, the closer Kanata is.

Kaoru leaps the last steps and rushes through the door to the roof, where he stops so suddenly he almost trips over his own feet. Against a wall to his left sits Kanata with closed eyes. He looks to be sleeping, and Kaoru doesn’t want to disturb him, so he kneels down in front of him.

Now that Kanata is there in his sight, Kaoru takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down even a little. His chest is burning, but it’s not so much from running as it is from all the wonderful and frightening thoughts running through his head.

”Took me a while, huh?” Kaoru whispers. He lets his gaze wander over Kanata for a while, memorising the way his chest rises and falls in his sleep, how his whole body is completely relaxed, how his lips are parted just a little -

It feels kind of nice to admit to himself that Kanata is beautiful. It’s not that he never noticed, but he always locked those thoughts away. Now Kaoru finally allows himself to bask in his ethereal beauty; that curious shade of blue in his hair, his long eyelashes, round face, and soft lips…

Kaoru reaches out, hesitates for just a second, and then runs his fingers through Kanata’s hair, ghosting them over his cheek. Kanata’s hair is soft, and he sighs in his sleep, nuzzling against Kaoru’s palm.

Kaoru’s cheeks heat up as he realises that if Rei has really told him the truth – which he has because he wouldn’t lie about something like this – then a scene like this could become commonplace. Just touching Kanata lightly like this is electrifying, and Kaoru wonders if he’ll ever get used to it, or if his heart is always going to jump around when they’re close to each other.

Kaoru is still working through these thoughts when Kanata opens his eyes to look straight at Kaoru, and for a while, Kaoru is lost in their brilliance, until he remembers that this time it’s him who came to find Kanata and not the other way around.

”I spoke with Sakuma-san just now”, Kaoru mutters softly, and Kanata’s mouth turns into a wide and sleepy smile.

”Rei is ’kind’… he said he would ’help’.”

”You could have just told me, you know”, Kaoru withdraws his hand from Kanata’s face, and Kanata goes to grab it, but is too slow.

”Ah...” Kanata frowns, and Kaoru hovers his hand for a while, until he brings it back, hesitantly linking his fingers with Kanata’s. Kanata smiles and tugs at Kaoru’s hand, pulling him forward, and Kaoru falls down to sit on Kanata’s legs, his knees landing on the ground.

”Kanata-kun!” Kaoru startles, but Kanata brings a finger to his lips to stop him.

”Hmmm~ I used all my ’energy’ earlier”, Kanata hums. ”So Rei said he would ’talk’ to you.” Kaoru looks down at the finger on his mouth and tries to find even a single word to say, but fails to do so. Kanata’s hand trails down towards Kaoru’s neck, who trembles when cold fingers graze at his collarbone before combing through the hair falling on his shoulder.

Kanata drops his hand and sighs, gazing at Kaoru through half-lidded eyes. He seems to be out of energy again, and it takes a while for Kaoru to realise that he’s probably waiting for _Kaoru_ to act.

It’s not that Kaoru is inexperienced, but it’s a different thing to play around with someone he has no attachment to, and to try to think of what to say to someone he actually likes. He plays the options in his head; all the smooth and sugar-coated words he could say, actions he could take, places he could kiss.

But all that feels empty somehow, because Kanata deserves more than Kaoru’s usual flimsy flirt. Kanata deserves the whole world and to know exactly how deeply he’s managed to reel Kaoru in, but Kaoru has never been good at expressing his feelings truthfully, so even when he opens his mouth, there are no words he knows to say.

He must look ridiculous, red-faced and sweating and shaking, but Kanata waits patiently, still holding his hand with an adoring smile on his face.

 _Adoring_.

How did he never notice? It’s the smile Kanata has when he sees something he cherishes dearly – when he gazes at the aquariums in their club room, or catches sight of one of his unit members, or that one time Kaoru went to find Rei and found him asleep on Kanata’s lap with Kanata stroking through his hair –

But it’s not quite the same, is it? _Kaoru is different,_ the words ring through his head. There’s a lump in his throat when he realises Kanata was trying to tell him at that time, and he ran away because he didn’t understand yet.

“I understand now”, Kaoru finally speaks. “I’m sorry for making you wait.”

“You are here ‘now’”, Kanata’s voice is steady, grounding, and Kaoru breathes a little easier. “And ‘you’ were worth the ‘wait’.”

Of course Kanata doesn’t mind. He’s already waited for a longer time than Kaoru, who caught wind of his own feelings just two days ago. Kaoru wants to make up for that time, to kiss Kanata all over and to tell him he loves him a thousand times and more – but with Kanata, he’s shyer than he ever is, and considering the way his heart is thundering in his chest, taking things too fast might be lethal to his health.

So Kaoru slowly shuffles closer on Kanata’s lap until their chests are almost touching, and lays a hand against the wall on Kanata’s left to steady himself. Kanata’s breath hitches ever so slightly, and when Kaoru leans closer, his eyes are wide and expectant.

Kaoru’s lips brush against Kanata’s cheek so quickly that by the time Kanata begins to lean into his touch, he’s already pulled away. Kanata raises his eyebrows, but Kaoru shakes his head slightly and untangles their hands.

He mimics Kanata’s actions from the previous day and wipes away the hair covering Kanata’s forehead. Kanata seems to understand and tilts his head down a little, allowing Kaoru to press another kiss on his skin.

Kaoru lingers for a few seconds this time. Kanata’s forehead is slightly warm under his lips, and this close, he can hear the slow, content exhale Kanata makes.

When Kaoru pulls away, Kanata’s eyes are shining and his cheeks flushed pink. Kaoru’s insides turn up and down at the sight of Kanata losing some of his usual composure, and he goes in again, this time linking their foreheads together.

“Kaoru”, Kanata breathes against Kaoru’s lips. “Kaoru”, he whines, but doesn’t move to close the short distance between them.

Kaoru isn’t sure if _he_ knows how to breathe, anymore, not when they’re so close that he can see the need hidden deep beneath Kanata’s eyes. When Kaoru parts his lips, they’re trembling, and when he finally pushes them against Kanata’s, his chest makes such a jolt that the trembling spreads through his whole body.

Now that Kaoru’s taken the last step, Kanata responds to the kiss, tangling his fingers in Kaoru’s hair as Kaoru pushes his body forward.

“Kaoru”, Kanata mumbles against him, drawing him closer.

“I’m here”, Kaoru parts to say, “I’m here.”

It’s as much of a promise as it is an affirmation, and when Kanata pulls him back in, he’s thinking -

Now that he’s here, he doesn’t ever want to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! it took a bit longer but here's finally the last chapter. I hope you liked the ending, the last 400 words took me almost 3 hours alone but in the end it worked out the way I wanted :') thanks for reading the whole thing! <3

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be just one chapter at first, but since I had ideas for more, it's now three-chaptered, haha...  
> thank you for reading ♥


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